The Life of Candles
by Suntiger
Summary: A drive out in the storm leads Blake to an unexpected place.


Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Enjoy the story!

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Droplets of water pattered against the windshield, leaving streaks of silvery pathways until they disappeared. The night sky rumbled with the occasional yellow streaks of lightning as thunder sounded off in the distance. Blake sighed, tightening her grip on the steering wheel as she calculated the distance from lightning and thunder her head.

The wind rustled the fallen autumn leaves that laid scattered on the road and blew them into the air, swishing through the empty woods.

Blake slowed the car as she took a curve, not wanting to take a chance on the slippery road.

Her daughter snored softly in her sleep, curled up in fetal position in the passenger seat. Her pink blanket laid underneath her, providing more comfort from the leather seat that sometimes would stick to her skin due to sweat. The car sometimes shook as the thunder cracked and roared, causing the cat ears on both of their heads to twitch. A small smile of relief crept on Blake's face as her daughter slept despite the sounds of the storm above them.

The cat faunus narrowed her gold eyes.

Ahead of her was a tall figure dressed in black walking in the middle of the road. If it weren't for her ability to see in the dark, he would have been road kill. She swerved just in time to miss him, releasing the breath she was holding with a loud huff. Her eyes flickered to her windshield mirror to check on the stranger she just narrowly missed.

He was drenched by the rain, his red hair matted to his face. She couldn't see his eyes since his face was down and his shoulders were hunched over, attempting to shield himself from the wind and rain.

She debated going back for him. It wasn't like her to leave a stranger in the rain and she was already feeling guilty, but she wouldn't risk the life of her daughter just because she felt sorry about leaving a stranger in the middle of the road while it was storming.

Nope. Not at all.

To reinforce this, Blake's hand reached over to gently push her daughter's raven hair back. She calmed herself down as she felt the silk softness of the kitten faunus.

What was he doing walking in the middle of the road anyway? Did he have a death wish? Did he realize that he could have potentially caused an accident? He might have killed her daughter.

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became. She was tempted to turn the car around just so she could lecture him about jeopardizing the safety of others.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she had to slam her brakes, screeching to a halt and jerking slightly forward. The quick and sudden movement triggered a soft yelp from the sleeping child. Her daughter lazily picked up her head to see what was going on and gave her mother a quizzical look. Blake caressed her daughter and told her that everything was fine, soothing her until she fell back asleep.

The car stalled as Blake stared at the ominous tunnel that had suddenly appeared.

There were no lights that shined inside so it looked like a black hole, able to suck anything in and spit it out in another dimension. Other images that flashed in her mind were people on their stomachs, crawling on their hands and legs to desperately get away from whatever, or _whoever,_ was dragging them inside. Animal instincts told her not to go in because she was not going to like what was on the other side.

She shivered and rubbed her forearms, one hand reaching over to turn up the heat just as the wind howled. She ignored the goosebumps on her arms.

Sighing, Blake put the car in reverse and placed her hand on the passenger seat to look where she was going. Once the rear end of the car faced the tunnel, she put her foot on the gas pedal and drove away. It was on the way back that she noticed the road splitting into two paths and realized she must have taken the wrong road.

However, she honestly couldn't remember there being a fork in the road.

She made the turn on to the other road, the car bumping along as the road turned into gravel.

Something was wrong.

The streets were becoming narrower and winding. The trees overhead hung low enough to scratch the top of the car, making her want to shrink lower. It was a suffocating sensation, never in her life had she felt so claustrophobic.

Just as she decided to turn around, a house appeared at the end of the road. It seemed to be a broken down, wooden gingerbread house. Grass and bushes had grown wildly, covering the pathway that used to lead up to the porch stairs. The porch stairs needed to be replaced since the wood had rotted through. Blake's ears caught the sound of the front door creaking open and close with the wind, the door not even closing properly since it was slightly off its hinges. The sidings of the house had probably been blue once but the color faded away with time. Several of the windows had cracks in them, as if they had been broken into.

Or something tried to break out.

There was nothing about the house that was sweet or enticing.

Blake exhaled slowly, afraid that if she made too much noise she'd attract the attention of something most foul, and her ears perked up to listen for danger.

She tilted her head curiously, hearing something faint. A soft voice pleaded for help. She leaned in, trying to figure out where it was coming from and slowed her own breathing, waiting for it to speak again.

Please, help.

The disembodied whispering voice was definitely male.

Raspy. Breathy. Eager.

Seeking her out.

As if she was hypnotized, Blake turned off the ignition and quietly stepped out. She made sure the car doors were locked to secure her daughter's safety and she gazed up at the house. Rain quickly drenched her clothing but she didn't seem to pay attention to the material clinging to her form. She was too fixated on the voice.

Her pupils narrowed into slits as she approached the house, walking lightly on the tips of her toes. She chose her steps carefully to make sure the wooden stairs didn't collapse under her weight and barely touched the door with her fingertips to open it.

The door let out a groan as it was opened fully and she slipped inside.

Her sense of smell was immediately assaulted with the scent of burnt flesh and blood. She winced from the stench and took a step back, covering her nose.

Help. Please help.

Her head snapped to the sound and she spun on the balls of her feet to follow it.

It was so close. So close.

Blue carpet stained with dried blood led into the other rooms, most of them empty with the exception of old, moldy furniture covered with old white sheets that waved at her in welcome as the wind blew underneath them. The walls were void of picture frames or anything that would give them more character, having only the same dull blue color wallpaper.

She had passed the kitchen when she heard it again, coming from beneath the door that led to closet underneath the stairs. She paused in front of it and without much thought, she yanked it open.

Curled up in a corner was the same man she nearly made road kill. He looked pale, thin, and weak, rocking himself back and forth. He stopped rocking when he sensed her presence, smiled, and slowly lifted his head. Gold eyes locked on to the bandages that wrapped his eyes, moving up to where she noticed red horns at the sides of his head.

A bull faunus?

Her muscles tensed, an old reflex, as his left hand reached out to her for help.

The source of the voice introduced himself as Adam and implored her to help him get of the house.

She blankly stared at him until she took his hand and pulled him up, stabilizing him as he stumbled at first. She guided him through the house and reached the door just as footsteps were heard on the second floor. Cat ears twitched, concentrating to figure out where exactly the source was, and then she sprinted out of the house with Adam following behind her.

The faunus pair raced to the car with Blake hitting the unlock button on her car keys. Adam got into the back seat, sliding across it since he was wet from the rain, and Blake turned on the engine. She didn't even bother with the seat belt. Blake's daughter didn't stir as the car made a funny clicking sound, a sound that bull faunus did not approve of.

After a few seconds, he ordered her to get out of the car, his voice full of panic.

But it was too late.

The front of the car ruptured into flames. Blake shrieked and slammed on the brakes, acting fast to turn off the ignition and went to open the door, finding it to be jammed. She shoved her shoulder into it, putting on her weight, but it wouldn't budge. She pounded on the window, hoping it would break, but stopped when she realized that Adam was standing outside of the car.

She screamed at him, telling him to get her daughter out first.

But he couldn't do anything to help her as white wires sprung from the ground like snakes and wrapped around him, encasing him. He was lit on fire by an invisible entity and he was pulled away into the darkness, but she could hear him scream. The agony of the pain in his voice echoed throughout the woods.

Adam vanished from her sight and the woods became silent.

Blake coughed and choked violently, the smoke was filling the car now.

Darkness neared her, creeping around the car like fog.

Though she tried her hardest to wake her daughter, shaking her shoulders violently, her daughter was limp in her arms. Tears swelled in her eyes and she held tightly to her daughter. The little kitten was her darling treasure. She cradled her daughter in her arms until her vision began to blur and she slowly fell limp against the leather seat.

Fire claimed them.

* * *

When Blake opened her eyes she was in a familiar room, but it quickly became unsettling that she couldn't quite place why the room was familiar to her.

And what alarmed her the most was that she was staring right at a giant version of her holding a carving knife. The bigger Blake had a determined glare on her face, eyebrows furrowing with a small bead of sweat rolling down her temple. Her golden eyes focused on the smaller Blake's features, carefully digging the knife into the smaller Blake.

The door to the room opened. "Hey Blake, Ruby wants us in the library." The female voice paused. "What are you doing?"

Blake sighed and turned to face the white haired girl. "I'm carving my candles. Any particular reason why Ruby wants us in the library?"

The girl chuckled. "I'm surprised. You normally jump at the prospect of being at the library."

Blake let a small smirk play on her lips. "Ruby doesn't go to the library to read or study, Weiss."

Weiss placed folded her arms thoughtfully. "You have a point. She did mention a board game." Weiss arched a curious eyebrow. "So...carving candles?"

Blake suppressed the urge to sigh again. She understood that Weiss was only trying to make friendly conversation but she really wasn't in the mood to talk. "It's just a hobby."

"A peculiar one."

The cat faunus shrugged. Carving candles helped her think or took her mind off things when she couldn't use books as a distraction, but she didn't want to indulge Weiss with that information as it would only make the conversation longer and filled with prying questions that she wasn't ready to answer.

"So what's the board game that Ruby wants to play?" She stood and joined Weiss at the door, leading her out of the bedroom.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. I've never played before," Weiss replied as Blake closed the door.

Their conversation continued down the hall, their voices becoming softer as they grew more distant.

The two tiny figurines carved from wax stood silently in front of the candelabra, temporarily forgotten. One figurine was a mini Blake, standing erect and with her arms at her sides. A sad and contemplative expression was on her face. The other figurine was a mini Adam, hands covering his eyes.

The mini Blake's eyes blinked.

XXXXX

Suntiger: That's a wrap! Thank you for reading! Comments, questions, or concerns are welcomed.


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